When I first saw the above article on Twitter I favorited it; not because it was my favorite piece of news but because I wanted to keep my eye on it. It’s been in the back of my mind rattling around since and I was thankful for the reminder, and thoughts it provoked, when I saw a friend and colleague (the ever-awesome Shannon Kelly of UPenn) start it as a conversation in a LinkedIn group of which I am a member.

The news about the “end of organic reach,” made me feel a little better about myself. Until it was spoken aloud I was left wondering if it was just me. As our post reach numbers hit all-time lows I thought, “Was it something I said?” And while it’s always nice to know it’s not only you, the outcome is still not ideal. We all noticed the changes and probably, in some small way, knew (or feared) what it meant, what was coming.

As the article points out:

In 2012, Facebook famously restricted organic reach of content published from brand pages to about 16 percent. In December 2013, another round of changes reduced it even more.

But destination zero? The conversation on LinkedIn mentions the concern for smaller businesses and non-profits which touches on one of my major issues: Facebook treats all pages as the same. And by the same, I mean as big brands: GM, Coke, Nike – brands with BIG budgets and BIG agencies behind them. Regardless of what side of the table you are coming from, big business or career services, I think we should be upset about the fact that what “destination zero” essentially does is blocks your content to existing fans unless you pay. “Your Facebook Page’s Organic Reach Is About to Plummet,” article from Social Media Today raise a very poignant question: couldn’t Facebook somehow allow existing fans to be reached via organic means, and worked out a way that businesses pay to reach new fans? We all worked hard to get these fans. At my career center we paid for ads on Facebook to attract fans to our page. Now we are essential being forced to pay to communicate with existing fans, and any new ones, ad infinitum.

I keep asking myself, should we just leave Facebook? Or should we pony-up and pay for reach? When we created our Facebook page it was not driven by organic reach or ROI. It was about having a presence in a space where our students were (and still are) active. That is the same reason we hang up posters outside of the cafeteria. Facebook allowed our office a space for quick updates on an easy to navigate platform that students check frequently.

I found it so easy to jump in to using Facebook but I’m hesitant to jump out and I’m not sure why. If you asked me yesterday, in a fit of frustration, I would have said I wanted to give up and delete our page once and for all. Is anyone considering this? I know what’s pushing me out but I’m not sure I know what’s keeping me. What’s keeping you (and your career center) there?